RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT (R&D)
BLENDING SCIENCE INTO SOLUTIONS
Innovation doesn’t happen in silos. It happens in systems and each R&D initiative is a cell of capability and when connected, they create outcomes far greater than individual efforts.
At Camlin Fine Sciences (CFS), R&D is not a standalone function, it is the circulatory system of our hive, where ideas form, evolve, and translate into solutions across businesses.
During FY2025–26, we focussed on three interconnected priorities: deepening vertical integration to secure raw material advantage, accelerating the development of differentiated specialty ingredients, and optimizing core processes to raise quality, efficiency and sustainability. Together, these priorities are advancing CFS from a chemistry company into a solutions enterprise.
ASIA
Research & Development and Applications Laboratory, India
Our R&D Centre in Tarapur, together with the Customer Service & Application Laboratories in Mumbai, serves as the backbone of our science-to-market strategy. The work here is cross-functional and deliberately broad spanning Specialty Ingredients, Aroma Ingredients and Performance Chemicals, with a shared mandate: translate science into competitive advantage.
Specialty Ingredients
R&D efforts in food focussed on building the next generation of tailor-made blends, formulations, and functional systems that move beyond
R&D efforts in food focussed on building the next generation of tailor-made blends, formulations, and functional systems that move beyond
single ingredient supply. Key initiatives during the year included development of:
- Customized blends and emulsifier systems addressing food stability, texture, yield and its shelf life consistently delivering the brand promise for Xtendra®, NaSure® and Ezential® through traditional solutions and expansion of clean label and natural solution platforms.
- Offering nature identical, high value flavour ingredients that improve supply reliability with strong margin potential for food applications.
During FY2025–26, Animal Nutrition segment emphasized functional performance, feed efficiency and measurable health outcomes enabling performance from feed mill to farm.
- Development of next generation feed additives tailored to aquaculture and dairy applications, designed to address processing related challenges & support, improved end use outcomes across both productivity and health metrics.
- Localized adaptation of VitaforTM precision nutrition solutions, enabling farm level deployment with regions and species specific customization.
- Energy optimisation through gluconeogenic and specialty nutritional solutions, supporting efficiency, improvements across livestock segments.
- On field trials and validation programmes across poultry, aquaculture and other livestock, bridging the gap between laboratory development and commercial adoption.
Aroma Ingredients
The year centered on purity, consistency, and the performance reliability of core ingredients under the adorr® brand. Against the backdrop of
The year centered on purity, consistency, and the performance reliability of core ingredients under the adorr® brand. Against the backdrop of
highly competitive global flavour markets, the quality of every molecule matters. Process efficiency, improvements and tighter impurity control, to help address any sensory deviations and elevate product consistency.
Performance Chemicals
The Performance Chemicals R&D cell focussed on unlocking greater commercial value from core diphenol chemistries by broadening their
The Performance Chemicals R&D cell focussed on unlocking greater commercial value from core diphenol chemistries by broadening their
reach into advanced applications under the Dinamic® umbrella:
- Expanded applications into polymers and home care, accessing segments with stronger structural growth and differentiation potential.
- Strengthening patent-backed technologies, creating IP-Led differentiation in niche, high-value segments.
USA
Product Development & Application Centre
R&D efforts for North America region in FY2025–26 were tightly aligned with the region’s commercial priorities: leading the market transition toward clean-label and natural antioxidant systems, strengthening technical
R&D efforts for North America region in FY2025–26 were tightly aligned with the region’s commercial priorities: leading the market transition toward clean-label and natural antioxidant systems, strengthening technical
responsiveness and building the application infrastructure needed for long-term differentiation across Food, Petfood, Rendering and Animal Nutrition.
Specialty Ingredients Clean-Label Antioxidant Development
The most significant R&D focus during the year was the accelerating shift away from synthetic antioxidants: BHA and BHT driven by evolving state
The most significant R&D focus during the year was the accelerating shift away from synthetic antioxidants: BHA and BHT driven by evolving state
and federal regulatory trends across the US. The team advanced multiple internal and collaborative development projects, expanding clean-label antioxidant solutions using natural extracts across a broad range of food and pet food applications. These projects include commercial opportunities that are expected to support the next phase of growth.
To support the innovation ambition, CFS North America made targeted investments in laboratory capability, people and analytical systems during the year:
- Expansion of the Food Application Lab through the addition of specialised equipment for application development and formulation testing.
- Hiring technical experts to strengthen the region’s ability to support customers with faster and more precise technical response.
- Progress towards ISO 17025 certification for the analytical laboratory, and robust systems reinforcing the credibility and reliability of CFS’s testing services and increasing customer confidence in results.
México & LATAM
CFS R&D and Application Centre
The R&D strategy for Mexico and LATAM is grounded in regional relevance developing costeffective, high-performance solutions that address
The R&D strategy for Mexico and LATAM is grounded in regional relevance developing costeffective, high-performance solutions that address
The R&D strategy for Mexico and LATAM is grounded in regional relevance developing cost effective, high-performance solutions that address local market dynamics while remaining connected to CFS’s global innovation priorities.
The focus is on product differentiation, regulatory compliance and enabling the commercial teams to expand into new segments across food and animal nutrition.
The planned FY2026–27 investment in Mexico including a new pilot plant and expanded laboratory capacity marks a significant step-up in regional R&D ambition, creating infrastructure to accelerate both product development speed and commercial validation.
EUROPE
CFS Vitafor R&D Centre, Belgium
The acquisition of VitaforTM in 2024 added a purpose-built innovation engine to the CFS Animal Nutrition platform. It is centred on precision technology
The acquisition of VitaforTM in 2024 added a purpose-built innovation engine to the CFS Animal Nutrition platform. It is centred on precision technology
developing liquid drinking water supplement solutions that deliver exact nutritional benefit at the farm level, where compliance, ease of administration, and minimal nutrient loss matter the most.
We deliver exactly what we promise the right nutrient, at the right concentration, at the right moment in the animal’s life cycle.
Guided by continuous market scanning and rapid translation of field insight into science-backed formulations, the VitaforTM innovation programme integrates scientific expertise, on-farm validation and global collaboration for all major farm animal species, with particular focus on poultry and ruminants. VitaforTM EUCAVITAL® is one such responsible innovation for the upcoming global launch, currently completing its final development stage. This advanced formulation not only delivers measurable improvements in growth performance but also reduces the need for antibiotic intervention.
SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENT
Across all R&D cells, sustainability is not a separate workstream - it is built into how we design. The shared commitments guiding development priorities include:
Across all R&D cells, sustainability is not a separate workstream - it is built into how we design. The shared commitments guiding development priorities include:
- Efficient resource utilisation and reduction of raw material intensity per unit of output.
- Development of natural and clean-label alternatives that reduce synthetic dependencies in food and nutrition applications.
- Reduction of process waste and environmental footprint, with a focus on water and energy efficiency in manufacturing.
- Endeavour to align with the global direction of responsible animal production, a growing priority for producers, regulators and food brands worldwide too.
Across geographies and chemistries, what unifies CFS’s R&D approach is the same principle that defines our business: integration. We are building an innovation ecosystem, one where each cell of capability strengthens the whole and where science, consistently and deliberately, becomes value.